Implement holder



Dec. 26, 1939. R H' N 2,184,667

IMPLEMENT HOLDER Filed Sept. 19, 1938 INVENTOR S RICHARD J. HANNAN BY r A; ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- 3 Claims.

This invention relates to holders or hangers and more particularly to that type adapted to clamp on the open end of a container to support implements used in connection with the contents of the container. More specifically, the invention relates to paint brush holders of the type which is adapted to be slipped over the edge portion of the open end of a paint can or pot and which is adapted to hold a paint brush in an upright position while the can or pot is being moved from one place to another or when the brush is left to soak in oil or water and which will hold the brush elevated in such a position that the bristles thereof will not contact the bottom of the can or pot. It is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the use of the invention to a support for paint brushes for I contemplate its use in connection with other implements or articles which it is desired to support 20 in a container.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an improved holder or hanger which is adapted to be readily sprung over the edge portion of the open end of a paint can or other 25 container into a supporting position and which in such position is adaptedto support a paint brush or other implement in an upright position within the can or container.

Another object of my invention is to provide a holder or hanger of the above mentioned type with a body portion having a resilient clamping portion or flange and a hanger portion or element which passes through accommodating openings in the resilient portion andwhich is normally adjustable longitudinally relative to the body portion and resilient portion, the body portion being adapted to be located within the container and the resilient portion being adapted to be sprung in place over a portion of the open end of the container to support the holder as a unit and when so sprung being adapted to lock the hanger element in its selected adjusted position against longitudinal movement relative to the resilient and body portions.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a holder or hanger constructed in accordance with the invention and applied to a paint can having a relatively wide lip or overhanging portion at its open end; Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are fragmentary perspective views illustrating different formations of the hanger element shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a body portion of the holder especially constructed for use in connection with a paint can having a plain edge at its open end, i. e., devoid of the overhanging lip shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower end of the body portion of the holder shown in Fig. 5 and of an extension to be slipped over the flange of such portion to adapt the holder for use with a can having an overhanging lip such as shown in Fig. 1.

As shown the holder or hanger comprises a body portion I having at one end a rearwardly extending arched resilient portion or flange 2 which is adapted to be sprung over the edge portion 3 of the open end of a container 4, such as a paint can, and which is provided with a curved end edge 5 which is adapted to engage the outer surface of the wall of the container. This edge portion 5 of the flange 2 renders the body portion self-adjusting to its proper position when the flange is sprung over the container.

The body portion I at its other end is provided with a rearwardly extending rigid flange B which is preferably disposed at right angles to the portion and which is preferably integral therewith. The longitudinal edge of this flange 6 is parallel with the body portion I and at the two spaced points indicated by the reference characters 7 is adapted to engage the inner surface of the wall of the container, the flange between these points being out of contact with said surface.

It should here be observed that since the edge portion 5 of the flange 2 is curved and therefore freely rockable on the outer surface of the can, the proper engagement of the flange 6 with the inner surface of the container is assured when the flange 2 is sprung in position on the can.

The width of the flange 6 is such that when it is in engagement with the inner surface of the can the flange 2 is in engagement with the outer surface, the body portion I will be vertically disposed, as shown in Fig. 1, and will serve as a rest for the broad side of a brush as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The flange 2 is provided with spaced open: ings 8 and the flange 6 is provided with spaced openings 9 which are in vertical alignment with the openings 8, which openings are adapted to accommodate spaced vertical legs Ill and II of a holder element having a top portion comprising spaced arms I2 between which the handle of a brush is adapted to extend and upon which the brush is supported through the medium of the handle. The leg I0 is slightly longer than the leg H for the purpose of facilitating the insertion of the legs in the openings 8 and 9. It will here be noted that if these legs were of the same length and the legs were not exactly spaced they would have to be held in place so that both could be simultaneously inserted in the openings. This would be dificult to do and would render it costly to mount the hanger element on the body portion. With one leg longer than the other this difllculty is entirely eliminated for as will be apparent the long leg is first inserted in one opening 8 or 9 and then the shorter leg is positioned in alignment with its accommodating opening.

It should here be mentioned that the legs H! and I l and the accommodating openings 8 and 9 are of such dimensions that the legs are freely slidable vertically relative to the flanges 2 and 6 when the flange 2 is not sprung over the edge of a container. When however, the flange 2 is flexed over the edge of a container, the edges of the metal defining the openings frictionally engage the legs IQ and H and thereby firmly lock the holder element in its preferred adjusted position against vertical movement either upwardly or downwardly. When it is desired to change the adjustment of the holder element the holder as a whole is removed from the container which permits the flange 2 to spring back to its original shape and in so doing relieves its rictional engagement with the legs 18 and H sufficiently to permit vertical movement of the holder element in either direction relative to the body portion i. From this it will be seen that the holder element may be readily adjusted to accommodate a chosen brush and when so adjusted will be automatically locked in its adjusted position upon the springing of the flange 2 over the open edge of a container.

It will be noted that when the flange 2; is flexed over the edge of the container, the legs in and H engage the inner surface of such edge and thereby space the upper end of the body portion in its proper position, as shown.

Projecting from one side of the body portion I is a resilient flange l3 which is offset as shown at M to bring this part of the flange close to the inner surface of the container when the flange E is sprung in place. From this point the flange extends rearwardly at a slight angle to the portion l4 so that a portion of the flange will be in a vertical plane a short distance beyond the vertical plane of the inner edge of the open end of the container, as shown in Fig. 1. This flange is provided for the purpose of holding or parking a stirring paddle, which paddle is inserted vertically between the flange and the container. This is readily done for, as before described, a portion of the flange is spaced beyond the plane of the inner edge portion of the container, thereby rendering it easy to thread the paddle in place.

The free end of the stirring paddle retaining flange I3 is provided with a short stop flange or lug it: which is adapted to prevent the paddle from slipping out of place from between the flange and the container.

The holder element is preferably made from a single piece of suitable wire and may be made in various forms, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and l.

In all of these holder elements the spaced arms I2 are formed substantially alike, as shown, but each differs in the formation of a back stop for the handle.

In Fig. l the back stop is formed by two connected vertically disposed coils I6 which are integrally connected to the arms [2, and in Fig. 2

the back stop is formed by two connected horizontally disposed coils I! which are integrally connected to the arms l2. In Fig. 3 a loop l8 which integrally connects the arms is bent upwardly and forms the back stop. In Fig. 4 the horizontal portion IQ of the wire which connects the arm I2 is bent outwardly at 29 intermediate the arms and forms the back stop.

The arms may be bowed inwardly toward each otherso that their free ends will be closer together than their rear or connected ends so as to lock the brush handle in place. In this connection it will be understood that the smallest part of the brush handle will pass between the ends of the arms and, when past such ends, will be dropped into place on the arms so that a larger portion will be back of the ends and. will thereby be held against accidental separation from the arms.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the upper portions of the arms l2 may slope downwardly from the free ends to the back stop. This tends to automatically position the brush when the brush handle is permitted to drop on the arms, and is particularly desirable in tending to prevent accidental separation of the brush from the holder element when the arms of such element are parallel instead of being bowed toward each other.

In Fig. 5 a modification of the holder is illustrated in which the flange 2 is formed to engage a plain open edge of a container and in which the flange 22, corresponding in function to the flange 6 of the holder shown in Fig. 1, is of such a width as to insure the vertical disposition of the body portion 1.

In Fig. 6 a further modification of the invention is illustrated in which an adapter 23 is provided for attachment to the flange 22 to increase the width of this flange to that of the width of the flange 6, so that the holder shown in Fig. 5 I

invention have been described in detail, it is not i my intention to limit its scope to these embodiments or otherwise than by the terms of the ap- I pended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a holder device comprising a body por tion adapted to be positioned within a container and having atone end a resilient supporting flange adapted to be sprung over the edge of the open end of a container into clamping engagement with the outer surface of the container and having at its opposite end a rigid flange adapted to engage the inner surface of the container, and a holder element supported by said resilient flange when the flange is sprung in place on the container and having spaced arms extending in a direction away from the flange, said arms being adapted to receive between them an article to be supported.

2. In a combined brush and stirring paddle holder device comprising a body portion adapted to be positioned within a container, a resilient flange portion adapted to be sprung over the edge portion of the open end of the container for supporting said body portion from the container, an adjustable brush holder element clamped in any adjusted position by said flange when the flange is sprung into position on the container, and a resilient stirring paddle holding flange extending from the side of said body portion, said paddle holding flange being located below the supporting flange and ofiset inwardly from said body portion to provide a narrow space between the flange and the wall of the container for the reception of the stirring paddlewith the holder device positioned in the container.

3. In a holder device comprising a body portion adapted to be positioned within a container, a flange on the upper end of said body portion adapted to extend outwardly into supporting engagement with a portion of the edge of the open end of the container and having spaced openings formed therein, a flange on the lower end of said body portion adapted to contact the inner surface of the wall of the container for spacing the lower end of the body portion away from said wall, the lower flangehaving spaced openings in alignment with the openings in the first mentioned flange, and a holder element having spaced legs extending through said openings, said legs being of unequal length to facilitate their insertion in the openings in said flanges.

RICHARD J. HANNAN. 

